Sehwag received rich tributes from two former players belonging to the elite club who wanted him to celebrate the occasion by notching up a ton.
Swashbuckling Indian opener Virender Sehwag, who is set to play his landmark 100th Test match against England in Mumbai on November 23, today received rich tributes from two former players belonging to the elite club who wanted him to celebrate the occasion by notching up a ton.
"There should be more players like Sehwag. Players like him would bring back crowd to Test cricket. I want him to score a hundred in his 100th match," said 1983 World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev on the sidelines of the release of a book on Sehwag's teammate Yuvraj Singh.
The 34-year-old Sehwag scored his first Test century in almost two years in the first game of the ongoing four-match series against England at Ahmedabad -- a blistering 117 -- to set up the platform for the huge Indian first innings score of 521 for 9 declared.
India rode on the 34-year-old Delhi star's ton, an unbeaten double century by young batsman Cheteshwar Pujara and a nine-wicket haul by left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha to carve out a thumping nine-wicket victory and go 1-0 ahead in the series.
Former chief selector and ex-India skipper Dilip Vengsarkar said he was a big fan of Sehwag, popularly known as "Nawab of Najafgarh".
"He is an outstanding cricketer. He has played his (style of) game every time. There was a lean patch (in between) but he went on with aggression. If you see his Test record it is amazing, it's a milestone for him. I am a huge fan of his. I hope he scores a hundred in his 100th test match," Vengsarkar said.
Sehwag, who is set to join a select list of eight other Indian batsmen, including Kapil and Vengsarkar, who have played 100 Tests, made a sensational debut by scoring 105 at number six in 2001 against South Africa at Bloemfontein.
Asked if Sehwag should change his batting style in Test cricket in the absence of senior players like Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, Vengsarkar said, "No. He is doing well. He is an outstanding cricketer."
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